Occurrence of organic compounds in groundwater of Saudi Arabia

The presence of organic compounds in drinking water is well recognized in many developing countries; however, the occurrence of organic contaminants in the groundwater of Saudi Arabia, which is the main source of drinking water in the country, is not well documented. A national comprehensive study was carried out to assess the occurrence of organic compounds in groundwater wells used for drinking water purpose, in different regions of Saudi Arabia. A total of 993 well water samples were collected from all 13 administrative regions of the kingdom. Samples were analyzed for a total of 131 organic compounds using the standard methods. The results indicated that total organic carbon values were in the range of 0.01 to 84.13 mg/L with an average weighted value of 12.61 mg/L. Organic compounds were detected in only 9 regions, with 19.84% of the samples containing organic compounds. Only 96 wells (9.67%) showed contents of organic compounds above the safe limits. Pesticides were not detected in any of the well water samples. Overall, organic compounds were found in only 197 out of 993 wells (19.84%) in the whole country. Most of the wells containing organic compounds were located in residential, industrial, and agriculture areas. Riyadh region and Eastern Province were found to have the most affected wells as compared to other regions. Several regions did not show any organic compounds in the well waters.It can be said that the problem of groundwater contamination with organic compounds in Saudi Arabia is not acute and is manageable at present. It is, however, recommended that a regular monitoring of drinking water wells of all regions should be carried out by the competent authorities for organic compounds to know any contamination if and when it happens. Preventing such contaminants from reaching drinking water sources and protecting drinking water well heads from such contaminants remains a priority.